Ben Jacobs: Liverpool ‘are prepared to’ submit megabucks offer to land ‘dream target’ after Wirtz
Ben Jacobs has suggested that Liverpool could yet try to break their all-time transfer record for the second time this summer.
The Reds are about to complete the statement signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a £116m deal and remain in the market for a centre-forward addition even after that unprecedented outlay on the German.
On Wednesday, the Evening Standard reported that the Premier League champions have lined up Alexander Isak as their ‘dream target’, although Newcastle are set to demand a minimum of £150m price for the Swedish striker.
Jacobs: Liverpool ‘are prepared to’ make club-record offer for Isak
Speaking on GIVEMESPORT’s Market Madness podcast, Jacobs isn’t ruling out the possibility of Liverpool testing the Tynesiders’ resolve for the 25-year-old, albeit with an acknowledgement that it seems unlikely to come off even if money is raised from player sales.
He said: “I understand that Liverpool are yet to give up on Alexander Isak even though it’s going to be a really difficult deal to pull off. If they are to succeed, the likelihood is that Liverpool would have to smash the money record that they’ve just put down for Florian Wirtz, the £100m plus £16m in add-ons.”
“Isak remains – like with Arsenal – the ‘dream target’, but Liverpool feel like there could be a window of opportunity in the coming weeks, even though we have to respect Newcastle and their position is still ‘not for sale’.
“Liverpool’s perspective is it might be worth trying nonetheless, and what I’m told they are prepared to do – as they did with Wirtz – is offer Newcastle United a guaranteed £100m and then a package overall that may even surpass the £116m that Liverpool have agreed with Leverkusen for Wirtz.
“Naturally, Liverpool know that this is a difficult deal to pull off. Newcastle insiders insist that with UCL football, they hold all the cards. Isak is well paid and contracted, and maybe even an offer only of over £150m, even closer to £200m, might change Newcastle’s mind. Liverpool may still try for Alexander Isak before moving onto another target.”
Liverpool’s marketplace ambition is to be applauded
While Jacobs added that Darwin Nunez is ‘expected to leave for £70m or more’, which in turn could help Liverpool to be ‘very aggressive in the market for a number 9’, a swoop for Isak would still appear to be quite audacious from the Merseysiders.
It’s good to see that FSG are shooting for the stars with a prospective club-record raid for the Newcastle striker, rather than not trying at all due to the remote probability of a deal for him coming off, although they must be careful and considered with any offer they might submit for the 25-year-old.
We’re sure that the Anfield will have a ceiling in mind, beyond which they won’t push any harder for the Swede, but it’d be unwise to go in with an excessively low-ball bid for starters, as that could antagonise the Magpies to the point that it might damage the prospects of future transfer activity between the two clubs.
Liverpool will realise that Isak will probably be unattainable and they’ll surely have alternatives in mind (such as Hugo Ekitike, for example), but the ambition to even try for the Newcastle hotshot is to be applauded when they know that he’d likely cost even more than Wirtz.
If nothing else, it’s worth a go. As Michael Jordan famously said, ‘you miss 100% of the shots you never take’.
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